A gill net is a simple type of fishing gear that is staked to a substrate to create a wall of mesh. Gill nets are often made of a material, such as monofilament nylon, which is practically invisible to fish attempting to swim by. As the name implies, fish are often caught by the gills because … [Read more…]
While gill rakers have no role in gas exchange, the predominant function of gills, they do perform an equally important function for filter-feeding fish – food acquisition. These bony projections serve as a sieve to trap food particles. They vary greatly in length and number and these characteristic differences have evolved with different feeding strategies … [Read more…]
Someone may tell you that you look “green around the gills” when you look ill but the expression doesn’t translate well to fish gills… No matter if a fish is sick or not, fish gills are often red – blood red, to be exact. That is because gills have blood vessels very close to their … [Read more…]
Ganoid scales are dimond-shaped scales found in lower order fishes such as the bichirs (Polypteridae), Bowfin (Amia calva), paddlefishes (Polyodontidae), gars (Lepisosteidae), and sturgeons (Acipenseridae). Unlike ctenoid or cycloid scales, ganoid scales are comprised of bone. They have a bony basal layer, a layer of dentin (also found in human teeth), and an outer layer … [Read more…]